Jotunheim Part V

I may have forgotten a few places of Jotunheim, but the posts are getting too long and this is already the V (5th) part and I intend to finalize the Jotunheim chapter here. So enough of writing about the places, for it is a large continent/realm and lets move on to the type of fauna.

All over the nine worlds of the norse cosmology there are a lot of creatures that have been seen by those who do spiritual work. There are many accounts since times immemorial, that still run in the folk tales from generation to generation. Of these animals, somo are known and exist in our own world, others have existed in our world and gone extint, others are exclusive of these realms. But Jotunheim has the largest and the most deversity of animals so far known. As you can probably imagine, most of Jotunheim is untouched by the hands that aren't nature's ones. Ancient creatures still lurk within this realm, primal fauna such as cave lions for example, sabertooth tigers and such creatures of the Ice age. There are a lot of wolves that run in packs all over the place.
There are many insects, mostly in the swamp areas, but during summer they tend to spread a lot because the weather cools off a bit, enough for these creatures to come about. Most forests and are to be avoided if one does not know the way in and out of them, there are fierce creatures there, but also the trees themselves are dangerous, very ancient and the roots are large and very long, one might trip over them and fall into unknown and deep holes, ancient caves, or be trapped and lie there waiting for a large predator to appear and eat you whole.

There are also a lot of herbs unknown to us, or at least to those who aren't able to go there, or even for those who can, most don't have the time to linger and study these herbs and other plants. Some grow on the very bark of the trees, among the moss and lichens, others on the ground and in few cases on stone. Speaking of stone, one might come across a few mounds made of stone with smoke coming out of them, these are dwellings of the Jutnar folk, not all are like these, it varies from tribe to tribe, even place. If you aren't certain if they are friendly or not, don't come any closer.

Jotunheim Part IV

There is no doubt that the source of magical power in Jotunheim, is the famous Iron Wood. From the distance it might look like a common thick forest, but its magical energy causes great transformations in every living organism there. Those who born inside this forest will certainly have strong magical powers but also great physical deformities. No wonder why the children of Loki and Angrboda, Jormundgandr, Hela and Fenris, born in the Iron Wood, have the physical aspect that we all know.
As I have mention in the previous post, Angrboda is the chieftess of the wold clan and also the seer of the nine clans of this place. She gained the title of Chief of Chiefs after many battles between the tribes. All clans have still have chieftains, but lets put it in this way, Angreboda is the "King" and the other chieftains are the nobles that govern in each place that belong to the realms of the "king" they are like the Jarls (since we are speaking of themes related to the Norse, a Jarl was a nobleman/chieftain of the Norse people, rulling over one place).
But since this post is about the places of Jotunheim and not those who live there, lets continue with that matter. Angrboda's halls lie inside Iron wood as it is expected. Huge gates with lots of bones and skulls hanged, a terrible sight that turns many away.

Outside Iron Wood, high on a mountain, lies the fortress of Gymir, the father of Gerda, Freyr's wife. 
There is a hut and a mill, a very small village with only two sister as residents, it is called Grotte and the sisters Fenja and Menja. Whatever is going on there, it is dangerous, and not much is known about the place.
Hyndla lives in the northern mountains of Jotunheim, deep within a cave, the same Hyndla who guarded the mead of poetry in Svartalfheim.

Jotunheim Part III

Continuing with the posts about Jotunheim, I star this one with Gastropnir, not so well known by those who practice/follow/study the Norse cosmology, because most of the time, Jotunheim is left aside and the major concern is with Asgard and Vanaheim only.
Glastropnir is the "castle" of Mengloth, the most known healing deity of Jotunheim. The dwelling lies in the westernmost part of Jotunheim, only a few miles to the shore where the Vanaheim ocean meets Jotunheim on top of a mountain. It lies on the top of the tallest mountain of the western mountain chain as I have written in the privious post.
It is rather hard to follow the poorly carved road on the rocks that leads to the "castle" and that might be on purpose, because to get here one have to rely on his/her own determination. Once at the top, it is said that the castle gates are enormous and made of Iron and guarded by two hounds called Gif and Geri.
The gatekeeper is called Fjolsvid. As I have said, the journey here is perilous and climbing to get to the home of Mengloth is even worse. Even so, many are those who seek her, for she is the best healer in all of Jotunheim, and possibly of all the Nine worlds, if it wasn't so, those who seek healing, would seek somewhere else safer and easier to get. Even Eir, the healer of Asgard, seeks Mengloth's wisdom.
Oddly enough, Mengloth is married with a mortal man called Svipdag. 
Like most deities or spirits of a great importance, Mengloth also has handmaidens, they are so named, Hlifthrasa, Thjodvara, Bjort, Bleik, Blid and Frid.

I have not mention it before, but as I have written on the previous post about Utgard and the ruler of it (Utgardens-Loki) you might had the impression that he is the ruler of all Jotunheim, the King. It isn't true and that is why I left this part to this post. To the northeastern mountain chain, there lies Thrymheim, the royal court of the folk of Jotunheim. The king lives here, and he is called Thrym. All of Jotunheim might be divided into many tribes and each one has a chieftain, and after the conflicts between tribes, Angreboda became the chief of all tribes, Jotunheim still has a King.

Jotunheim Part II

There are a few cities and villages in Jotunheim, that one might reach following the roads, although these might be dangerous, it is better to wander off of them. The most famous city of Jotunheim, is Utgard, the single biggest Jotun settlement in all the Nine realms, and not at all safe. However, there is a lot of trading in it. The main area of Utgard is surrounded by a great stone wall. Once through the gates, the narrow, crowded, noisy roads slope upwards to the highest central point, where Utgardens-Loki keeps his hall. There are also many settlements outside this wall. Inside, Utgard is crowded with markets where almost anything produced in the Nine Worlds can be bought. There are a lot of taverns, inns, and such. There are yards where people can play competitive games with each other.
The lord of Utgard is Utgard-Loki, a name he took to distinguish himself from Laufey's son (The god Loki). He is both warrior and sorcerer, and is a brilliant, canny leader who invokes deep respect from his people. He is known to be generous to visitors if he wants to impress them, he is a faultless and courteous host.

The Guard of Utgard is an elite body with a great reputation. Unlike most other Jotun warriors, they are actually drilled and trained with a great deal of precision. They patrol the roads outside of the city and keeping the trade routes safe for merchants. They also patrol the city itself. Like all Jotun warrior bands, the Guard has both male and female soldiers, including some warrior-couples who are shieldmates. Suffice to say, Utgard isn't a safe place, unless one is often alongside the Guards.

Probably one of the most famous places in all of Jotunheim is Mímisbrunnr, or mostly known as Mimir's well. The well lies inside a great cave and it is filled with skulls, probably offerings to Mimir.

Jotunheim Part I

Contrary to what people might think, Jotunheim is actually a beautiful land and not at all covered with ice and snow, but it is a very dangerous realm and forbidden to most. Everything in this realm is quite big, everything is larger than usual. Jotunheim was created to be the new home of all the Jotnar race.

The days in Jotunheim are a little shorter than the days in Midgard, and sunset and sunrise happen more quickly. Usualy the sky there is very light, but storms often fall from it and there is a great deal of rainfall, especially near the coast line and during spring time. During these storms, it is common to see a fire getting started in the forest due to the lightning strikes. When the storms don't cover the land, this is a very bright realm as long as one keeps a distance from the forests, for those there are very thick and block out most of the light. This is one of the reasons why those who have traveled there, had the idea that this was a very dark and gloomy world, it is covered with thick forests and high mountains that block the light of the sky. Most of Jotunheim is under thick and vast forests and huge mountains, but of course there are parts with meadows, but these are very few compared to the rest of the realm.

There are three major mountain chains in Jotunheim, one on the eastern side turning Northward, a cold part of Jotunheim, almost as cold as Niflheim itself. There other one is right at the middle of Jotunheim, dividing this realm in two, a natural barrier that descends to the south, and finally, the mountain chain that goes along the western coast, called Nidfjoll mountains.
The famous Iron Wood lies in the southernmost area of Jotunheim. Suprisingly, this is the place where the trees are shorter and rather twisted. The southeastern area of Jotunheim is hot and steamy, with rainforests and multiple small rivers. The widest river in Jotunheim is called Elivagar, which in fact
 is filled with salt water coming from the ocean. This river makes a natural barrier between the southern part of Jotunheim and the Northern part of Midgard, since Midgard lies to the Southwest of Jotunheim. The north border of Jotunheim is the great Thund Thvitr, the second-largest river and the line between Jotunheim and Asgard. It is filled with small fortresses and other settlements as outposts. Another famous river is the Slith, with very agitated waters, that make the southern border of the Iron Wood.

In the northwest corner, near to the Thund Thvitr, is the forest of Galgvid, where Eggther stands watchful in his encampment along with many guards. This might be one of the few safe places to be, as long as no one speaks about the Aesir or shows any affiliation with them. Eggther is the keeper of Volund's, the sword of revenge. His assistant is Fjalar, not the duergar (dwarf) of the same name, but a giant.

Just off the coast of the western sea, the coastline is broken and many small islands are scattered all over the waters. Furthest out lies the island of Allgron, a midway-trading-point between Vanaheim and Jotunheim. It is owned by a giant called Fjolvar.

Vanaheim Part IV

The great giant Billing, Gilling's brother and Rind's father.. or better say, Vali's grandfather, also has an Hall in Vanaheim. He might be of Jotun blood, but one of his wifes is a Vanir, so he is one of the Jotnar that helps the ties between Vanaheim and Jotunheim stay strong. His Hall is located in the eastern side by a port where sailing to Jotunheim is possible.

Somewhere just off the coast of Vanaheim, probably between the North-east and the South-east, lies the underwater palace of Aegir the sea god, the palace is so named Aegirheim, the underwater palace. This great underwater palace lies near an Island called Hlesey.

Vanaheim Part III

In this part, I will continue writing about the places of interest in Vanaheim. Starting with Freyja's Hall.

Such as her brother, Freyja also has two Halls. Her most famous Hall is Sessrumnir in Asgard. But her Hall in Vanaheim people will find often four of her eight sisters (Njörd, her father, has other children with other women aside from Nerthus). 
The eldest of her eight sisters is Eir, she is Frigga's handmaiden in Asgard, and she is also a goddess of healing. Her hall in Vanaheim is simply referred to as Freyja's Home. It seems that Freyja's hall in Vanaheim is where the female children of Njörd come together, at least some of them.
Such as I have written in the previous post about Vanaheim, Freyja is also a hostage ,like her brother, for the continued peace between the two tribes of deities, the Aesir and the Vanir. Freyja is also allowed to come home, but only when her father and brother are absent.

I have been writing about Njörd's family leaving behind his own father, Frodi, an etin linked to the night. He lives in Vanaheim in a small wooden Hall surrounded by orchards.

The goddess of vegetation and also linked to the sea, Nehallenia, also has a Hall in Vanaheim near the ocean at the same coast line as Njörd's hall is. 

Something very interesting came across a few spirit-workers, the fact that the Germanic goddess Holda also has a home in Vanaheim, apart from the one she already has and was known to all, but few knew that she also spent some time in Vanaheim. There it lies in the middle of vast fields of beautiful flowers, her cottage.

Walpurgis/ Thrimilci 22 April - 1 May

The festival of Walpurgis between the 22nd of April till the nigth of 1st of May, are the nights of both merrymaking and joy but also darkness and insight. These nine nights (from 22 to 30 of April) are to remember the self-sacrifice of Odin the Allfather, when he wounded himself with his own spear and hanged himself on top of the world tree Yggdrasil, for nine days and nights. At the ninth night, Walpurgisnacht, Odin beheld the power of the Runes and their magical purposes by ritually dieing and coming back with the Knowledge of the Runes. At that same moment, all light from the nine Norse worlds/realms was extinguished and chaos reigned. It's what still happens, but at the final stroke moment at midnight, the lights returns, ever bright, and the bonfires are lit. What happens next, is something similar than what happens during Samhain/Halloween/Hallow's end. On this night, Walpurgisnacht, the dead have full dominance upon our world, it is when the Wild Hunt comes to an end. At May th 1st the festival of Thrimilci is held, it is the beginning of Summer. Thrimilci is a festival filled with joy and contentment, and also fertility, much like Ostara. However, most of the Northern World is finally escaping from the snow at this time.